Modern agriculture equipment such as tractors and self-propelled machines are fundamentally equipped with rubber tyres known as agriculture tyres. These agriculture tyres play an extremely significant role in terms of agriculture equipment’s since they prompt:
- Decrease fuel consumption
- Higher speeds
- Reduce vibration and noise
- Better soil compaction
- Better handling in muddy terrain
There are numerous sorts and sizes of agriculture tyres that are accessible for explicit purposes and agricultural equipment/machinery.
Many tyres manufacturers such as Michelin are constantly developing better and better agriculture tyres to make agricultural equipment more efficient. These agricultural tyres are designed to have excellent footing and heavy load conveying capacities.
Sidewall marking
Here is how you can interpret sidewall marking on an agriculture tyre:
| Sidewall Marking | Meaning |
| Mitas | Manufacturer |
| 480/65 R 28 | Tyre size marking |
| RD-03 | Tread Pattern code (as explained above) |
| 136 | Load index (LI 136 = 2 240 kg) |
| D | Speed symbol (D = 65 km/h) |
| 139 | Load index (U 139 = 2 430 kg) |
| A8 | Speed symbol (A8 = 40 km/h) |
| TUBELESS | Tubeless tyre |
| R-1 | Tread profile marking – US |
| (2019). Mitas-tyres.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019, from https://www.mitas-tyres.com/underwood/download/files/mitas_agri_databook_en_13th.pdf | |
Tyre size marking
Here are 5 ways the tyre size is expressed and how you can interpret it:
- 340/85 R 24
| 340 | Nominal section width (in mm) |
| 85 | Aspect ratio H/SW (in %) |
| R | Radial construction |
| 24 | Nominal rim diameter |
- 0/55-17
| 15.0 | Nominal section width |
| 55 | Aspect ratio H/SW (in %) |
| – | Cross-ply construction |
| 17 | Nominal rim diameter |
- 31 x 15.50-17
| 31 | Overall diameter (in inches) |
| 15.50 | Nominal section width |
| – | Cross-ply construction |
| 17 | Nominal rim diameter |
- 5 L-24
| 16.5 | Nominal section width |
| L | Reduced aspect ratio |
| – | Cross-ply construction |
| 24 | Nominal rim diameter |
- 5 – 20
| 7.50 | Nominal section width |
| – | Cross-ply construction |
| 20 | Nominal rim diameter |
Note: the nominal rim diameter and nominal section width is in inches
Tread patterns of agriculture tyres
The tyres utilized on agricultural equipment’s must work under extreme pressure and conditions, which requests that tyres must be manufactured with the most elevated level of specialized characteristics such as the tread pattern. Below are the types of tread pattern of agriculture tyres:
- Implement diagonal tyres
All tires models included in the range of IM and TR
- Implement radial tyres
- Agriterra 02
- Agriterra 03
- AR-01
- AR-02
- Premium radial tyres
- AC 70 T
- AC 90
- AC B5
- HC 1000
- HC 2000
- SFT
- Tractor diagonal tyres
Models labelled with AF, TD and TL.
- Tractor radial tyres
All tires RD Tire models.
- Other tyres
Other tire patterns include B series, TS and TF series or tire models.
Note: Every single one of the above tread patterns prompts explicitly unique characteristics in a tyre. Find more information about tires at Pitstoparabia.
A new era of agriculture tyres
Following are some of the new trends of agriculture tyres that we might see in action sooner than we think:
Competition
Lately, there has been a tremendous spike in competition in terms of new and technologically advance agriculture tyre production plants. As of now, three major players are in the market — Goodyear-Titan, Bridgestone-Firestone, and Michelin Ag, holding a joined piece of 90% in the overall tyre industry of US. As per CEO Jaroslav Cechura of Czech tyre company, “U.S. farmers will benefit from the company’s advanced tyres and increased competition.”
This competition has just started so we may expect to see many more players in the game
Bigger tyres
Tyre makers keep on making their homestead tyres bigger to help the extra weight of agricultural hardware, which has developed in size. Till 2009, The biggest size classification of the agricultural tyre was Group 48. However, in the present era, tyre manufacturers are beginning to deliver much greater tyres characterised at Group 49, which are 7 ft. tall.
Wider tyres
Since wider tyres are in demand nowadays many tyre manufacturers are opting to develop wider tyres. Tyre manufacturers around the globe often state that more farmers are switching to wider tyres due to their traction on muddy terrain and better flotation.
Wider agricultures tyres, which go somewhere in the range of 2 to 4 ft in width are great at supporting the load and equalizing it over a bigger contact zone to limit soil compaction and decrease ground pressure.
VF tyres
Recently Michelin Ag was credited with manufacturing the amazing tyre known as Very High Flexion (VF) tyre. This tyre is fundamentally based on Ultraflex technology that was introduced via Michelin Xeobib radial tyre in 2003. Tyres that meet VF criteria can flex 40% more than standard tyres.
Michael Burroughes, executive of promoting for Michelin North America Agricultural tyres, said, “The new Michelin SprayBib tyre flexes more than competitive products, and it runs at significantly lower air pressures,”
R+ tyres
Like IF and VF, Goodyear has recently introduced a cutting-edge flexion innovation called R+. The R+ innovation empowers a tyre to convey heavier loads when compared to a standard tyre at a similar tyre pressure.
Skip Sagar, a salesperson for Titan-Goodyear, further said, “But in addition, R-plus will give you ‘plus-ups’ to carry additional loads depending on what field speed you will run.”
Eco-friendly tyres
Tyres that are benevolent to the earth are an interesting point of interest for all of us who care about the green earth; irrespective of whether we are talking about on-road or off-road tyres. Recently, many tyre manufacturers are opting to develop agriculture tyres that have less rolling resistance, intended to save money on fuel expenses, and unique rubber compound that does not quickly wear off thus limiting the contaminants discharged into the air.
This promise might be the most ambitious one that is why we all should pray for it to come true as soon as possible.
